In the room, a lamp was shining its light. Carson Flores sat in front of it, looking at the alchemy book he had obtained earlier.
Ruben Howell and Josie Howell climbed over the wall, landed in the courtyard, and carefully approached the door. After peeking through the door crack, they breathed a sigh of relief, pushed the door open, and entered the room.
Carson Flores looked up at them, then closed the book in his hands.
The eyes of Ruben Howell and Josie Howell fell simultaneously on the alchemy book in Carson’s hands, then to the obviously bulging backpack at his feet, their eyes brightened.
They had been searching nearby for households that seemed affluent for the past six hours. Although they had found some things, the results were not entirely satisfying.
Ruben’s tone was odd as he said, "Yo, seems like you’ve had quite the haul."
Carson replied with a faint smile, "Not bad."
After robbing Saint Jaramillo and the others, Carson made a round around the area and searched a few households before giving up.
He noticed that the homes of the city’s affluent were tidy and clean, with no valuable items left behind, giving the impression of an orderly evacuation. In contrast, poorer households were clearly much messier, indicating the haste with which they had left.
This led Carson to a speculation.
The news of this world’s impending destruction would likely have reached the administrators first, followed by the wealthy families in this area. Therefore, they had ample time to pack all their valuable possessions and evacuate in an orderly manner, whereas the commoners, likely the last to know, were the most frantic in their departure.
Realizing this, Carson no longer felt like continuing his search, and instead arrived early at the meeting point to carefully read the alchemy book.
Josie spoke up, "Can I have a look?"
Carson nodded calmly, "Sure."
Ruben and Josie leaned in to scrutinize the contents of the bag, flipping through it. They looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other’s eyes.
This young man had quite the fat loot!
Ruben stood up, laughing, "So much to show for your efforts, a bountiful harvest, where did you find it all?"
Carson made up a story on the spot, "I didn’t go far, just around the apothecary. After the people from the Eight Spirits Sect left, I went in for another search, and that’s where I found them."
Ruben and Josie were taken aback. To pick up leftovers?
Were the people from the Eight Spirits Sect led by Saint Jaramillo blind? How could a thorough search by five people still leave something behind for Carson to take advantage of so easily?
Ruben staring at the book in Carson’s hand, asked, "What’s that book you’re reading?"
Carson handed the book over generously, "Just a basic alchemy book."
Ruben took the book, and Josie also came closer. Flipping through a few pages, they saw introductions to the Five Spirits Pill, Great Supplement Pill, and Heart Cleansing Pill, their eyes immediately lit up.
Josie suddenly said, "These ingredients need to be refined before they become elixirs. It’s no use for you to keep them by yourself. Why not give them to us?"
Carson glanced at Josie, "That’s not what the agreement said."
Josie firmly insisted, "If it weren’t for the Howell Family letting you join, you wouldn’t even have the chance to enter. You’ve got so much, what’s wrong with sharing a little?"
Carson stared at Josie, who was assertively staring back at him with a grip on his bag, ready to take matters into her own hands if he didn’t agree.
After a few seconds of eye contact, Carson looked away, "Fine, take it."
Josie raised an eyebrow triumphantly and cleanly swept all the medicinal ingredients out of the bag. Looking at the elixirs at the bottom of the bag, she spoke again, "You have five Five Spirits Pills, and since there are five of us, one for each. The Great Supplement Pill is good for replenishing the body, right? My brother might be able to use it, so I’ll take that. Leave all the Heart Cleansing Pills for you, okay?"
Carson replied indifferently, "No."
Josie’s expression froze, "What if I insist on taking them?"
Carson smiled, "You could try."
"You think I won’t dare?"
Josie scoffed and pulled the entire bag toward herself, "I’ve changed my mind; I want everything! If you don’t like it, come and take it back!"
Carson stood up and walked towards Josie while Ruben positioned himself next to her, watching Carson coolly.
Carson suddenly stopped.
The door opened, and Garrett Howell and Jeffrey Howell walked in.
Garrett looked at the tense standoff and frowned, "What’s going on?"
Josie spoke up first, "Carson picked up a whole bag of stuff for free from the apothecary. You and Ruben got hurt over fighting for it earlier, so even though there was no merit, you still put in the effort, so I told him to share some, but he was not willing, even looking ferocious and ready to fight with me..."
Ruben walked to Garrett’s side and whispered a few words. Garrett’s gaze suddenly changed, looking greedily at the bag.
The Five Spirits Pills, which could aid a Grandmaster’s advancement, all five of them, also meant that they could bring another five Great Grandmasters to the Howell Family!
Garrett turned to Carson, at a loss for words, since it was he who had spoken the terms of the agreement with Carson.
Carson suddenly said, "You want them too?"